About a mile from West Grinstead, in West Sussex, lies the ruins of Knepp Castle. Once this had been one of the six great feudal fortresses of the county, but now little remains but a single ruined tower.
However, among the ruins it is said a ghostly white doe can be seen. According to the local legend, back in the days of King John, a young girl displeased one of the king’s retainers when she refused to submit to his lecherous advances. In revenge, he sought out a local witch and paid the hag to enchant the girl. The spell worked and the poor girl was transformed into a white doe.
However the hag wasn’t finished yet. She cast another spell, turning herself into a great boarhound, and dashed out to forever pursue the little doe. As this was to be a constant torment, the men of Knepp were ordered under pain of death never to slay the doe.
And then one unfortunate day, a young lad was eager to show off his prowess with a crossbow. And in his enthusiasm, he accidentally loosed a bolt that pierced the heart of the doe. However his ill fortune did not end there, for a second bolt went astray too, and this one struck the great hound that was pursuing the doe. And so, both girl and witch were slain..
But the ghostly doe, now free of her tormentor, can still be seen feeding on the rich green grass in the summertime. But in the winter, usually about Christmas time, when snow and ice blanket the ground, the white is stained with blood-red marks at the spot where the enchanted animals were slain.
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